Caring Enough To Ask
by VooDoo Lily
Summary: There are a bunch of stories out there about Padme comforting Obi Wan after Qui Gon's death. Here's one where Obi Wan comforts Padme after she experiences a loss. Set during AOTC. Please R&R.


Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except maybe the nameless driver in the airspeeder.

Padmé Amidala stood on the Senate landing pad, her arms wrapped around herself as she stared off into space. She was oblivious even to the cacophony of Coruscant's air traffic, and so had no hope of hearing the quiet footsteps of the Jedi who came to stand beside her.

"You seem preoccupied, Senator."

His voice broke through her reverie, and she looked up at him, letting her arms fall to her sides. "Master Kenobi. I was just thinking."

He nodded, his eyes on the airspeeders whizzing by them. "I understand that you lost a handmaiden upon your arrival here?" he asked gently, the concern in his voice belying his apparent indifference as he continued to not make eye contact with her.

Padmé swallowed, feeling glad that Obi-Wan was not watching her. It allowed her to be vulnerable without him actually seeing her break. She, too, watched the vehicles going by as she responded to him. "Yes. Her name was Cordé. We were attacked right here, and she died… for me."

"It was her duty to protect you, even if it meant her death," he reminded her in the same gentle tone he had used before.

"I know, but that doesn't change the fact that she's gone forever."

"That is why you must accept it. Death is a part of life, Senator. Remember that."

"Is that how you got over Qui-Gon's death?" The bitterness in her tone as she asked the question shocked her, and she looked up at him with a regretful expression on her face. "Forgive me, Master Kenobi. It was wrong of me to say that."

He glanced at her and then softened when he read the sincerity in her large brown eyes. "That's all right, m'lady," he assured her. "To answer your question," he continued, "accepting Qui-Gon's death as a part of life did help me in the grieving process. Knowing that we had had a strong bond in life also gave me comfort, and his presence remained with me for a long time after his death. In fact, I can still hear him sometimes in my head, giving guidance when I need it most."

Padmé nodded eagerly. "Yes, I feel like that about Cordé. I can't forget her yet because she's still with me. She wasn't just my handmaiden or my bodyguard. She was my friend." She glanced at Obi-Wan. "Like you," she added, "except for the handmaiden part, of course."

Obi-Wan chuckled at her comment, but said nothing, and when a comfortable silence had fallen over them, Padmé spoke again.

"Obi-Wan?" she asked quietly. "Did you know that you're the first person to ask me about Cordé since she—since the incident?"

She turned her head to look into his eyes. The normally bright blue of his irises were now dimmed with sympathy as he stared down at her.

"I wanted to make sure you were all right, Padmé," he said softly. "The same way you did for me after Qui-Gon passed away," he reminded her. "I know what it's like… to lose someone you care about."

Wordlessly, she came forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. When she felt him gather her close and return the embrace, she whispered, "I know you do. Thank you, Obi-Wan. Thank you for caring."

"I will always care, Padmé," he whispered back, both of them forgetting that they were still standing outside on a landing pad and could be seen by any of the beings who cared enough to look out their windows while driving by.

The Jedi pulled his head back and stared into her eyes, losing himself in their brown depths.

Slowly, he leaned towards her, and Padmé followed suit, meeting him in a kiss that sealed an unspoken promise between them. A promise that they would always be there for one another in times of trouble, pain, and sadness, and that they would share in the joy and happiness small comforts like this one sweet kiss could bring them.

HOOONK!

"Hey, that's disgusting! Get a room, you two!"

The Jedi and the Senator broke apart, startled to find a driver honking his horn and yelling at them from the open cockpit of his airspeeder. They watched him zoom away as the light changed, then they looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Come," Obi-Wan said lightly, clasping his hands behind his back and turning in the direction of the Senate, "we should probably go back inside before we receive any more complaints, Senator."

She smiled at the twinkle of humor she saw in his eyes, and replied with feigned seriousness, "Yes, you're probably right, Master Kenobi."

The two of them walked back to the Galactic Senate together, knowing that their relationship was now stronger because they each understood the pain of losing a loved one, and cared enough to ask how the other person was coping with that pain.


End file.
